


midnight milkshakes with you

by ONLYTHEMEDICIN3



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor Louis, Arguing, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, I Love You, I'm sorry in advanced, M/M, Sometimes Sad, Writer Harry, Ziam Mayne - Freeform, be ready, cliff hanger, enjoy, larry stylinson - Freeform, maybe smut, niall is single, slowburn, two sides of the story, undecided - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:14:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29813790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ONLYTHEMEDICIN3/pseuds/ONLYTHEMEDICIN3
Summary: Harry is a waiter in a small town diner and Louis is a bigshot actor who just needs a night off and a good milkshake.OrThe one where Harry accidentally catches the eyes of someone out of his favorite movie
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. Louis' Story: Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey I got this idea a while ago and decided to finally let you guys read this! lots of my twitter moots were excited for this one so I decided I had to post it! anyways, I hope you enjoy! lots of love xx  
> -N

He groans as he slides into the booth farthest from the entrance, the cold leather seat sending a shock through his spine. He’s drowning in his hoodie, which he’s purposely pulled over his hands to hide the tattoos on his fingers. He flips through the diner’s menu, trying to figure out where the list of breakfast foods finally ends. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees a waiter striding over to his table.  
The boy walking over has a giddy smile on his face. Louis groans. The last thing he wants right now is to be recognized. He pulls his hood over his head, an attempt to hide his face from the incoming fan. The boy’s face is partially hidden by his long, dark hair.  
Before he reaches the table, he swiftly throws his hair into an almost perfect bun. If it wasn’t for his sharp jawline and figure, Louis probably would have thought he was a woman.  
“Can I get you anything to drink?” The tall boy asks, having finally made it to the table.  
Louis notices that he also has a British accent, which is odd considering they’re in the middle of nowhere. Well, not nowhere, but too far out from Los Angeles for there to be many actors.  
“D’you have milkshakes?” the hidden man squeaks, instantly blushing at the sound of his own voice.  
“Mate, this is a diner,” the boy chuckles. “Of course we have milkshakes.”  
“Vanilla,” Louis replies after clearing his throat.  
“Plain and simple, I like it,” the boy says, writing down the order before turning towards the kitchen and walking away.  
Louis takes his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. He’s got what seems like a million texts from his manager, all asking where he is. Instead of answering, he places his phone on the opposite side of the table and plays with the sleeves of his hoodie. Before he knows it, the long haired boy is back, his hair down again.  
“You play with your hair a lot,” Louis says as the boy approaches his table, milkshake in hand.  
“You can see, I’m impressed,” the boy jokes, running his hand through his hair and pushing it out of his face.  
“Busy night?” Louis asks, looking around the empty diner, hoping the boy takes his hint.  
“Are you asking if I can take a break?”  
Louis takes a sip of his milkshake and nods.  
The tall boy removes the apron he’s wearing and slides into the other side of the booth. As he scooches into the corner, he kicks one of Louis' feet by accident.  
“Bit clumsy, eh?” Louis giggles.  
The boy simply blushes back at him.  
“Are you hiding from someone?” The boy blurts out, immediately throwing his hand over his mouth, as if he was embarrassed that he actually asked the question aloud.  
Louis turns his head slightly, the way a puppy does when it’s curious.  
“I’m playing a character,” Louis replies.  
“A character? Are you an actor? Or just a liar?”  
“You don’t know who I am?”  
“Will you be upset if I say no?”  
“Name’s Louis.”  
Louis holds his hand out for the boy to shake.  
“Harry,” the boy replies, shaking the actor’s hand. “Should I be asking for an autograph right now?”  
Louis rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He feels comfortable, something he hasn’t felt in a while. For once, he’s laughing, and it’s genuine. The two of them look like the main characters of a coming of age movie, except a few years too old. Neither of them wants the moment to end, but the bell of the entrance rings and Harry climbs out of the booth.  
“Wait,” Louis says, grabbing Harry’s hand.  
“Yes?” Harry asks, pulling his hand away and putting on his apron.  
“Once you finish with that table, would you help me sneak out of here?”  
“You can’t walk out the door?”  
“Teen girls tend to be the ones who recognize me.”  
“What are you, the frontman of a boyband?”  
“Just help me, please” Louis practically begs.  
“Alright,” Harry agrees before walking over to the waiting teens.  
Louis can’t help but watch Harry as he does his job. He thinks about what it must be like to be completely normal. He watches as Harry seats the group of girls. Two of them whisper to each other and point to him. Louis pulls his hood farther over himself and leans his head against the cold window. He thinks about his life, imagining where everything must have gone wrong  
He can pinpoint it back to one moment. The moment he was forced to stop being a normal person, the moment he shot to fame. His idea had always been to make enough money to survive, not to be famous. When he auditioned for his breakout role, he thought it was a small movie. After all, why would they cast someone unknown to be the star? Since it’s release, he’s barely been able to go out in public without being swarmed by teenaged girls who are swooning over him. If only they knew he could never be interested in them. If only they knew his type was long haired boys who had no clue who he was.  
After what felt like hours, Harry makes his way back over to the isolated table. Louis can’t help but watch as he approaches, totally mesmerised by his beauty. The boy totally looks like he could have been carved by an ancient greek artist. Louis wishes he didn’t look as tired as he probably does. He can feel the deep bags under his eyes that will, undoubtedly, be filled with concealer on set tomorrow morning. Well, in a few hours since it's already two in the morning.  
“Ready for your cheque?”  
Louis clears his throat before pulling out his wallet. He hands Harry a twenty dollar bill, not even looking at the receipt. Harry takes the bill, staring at the older boy. Louis follows Harry’s eyes to figure out what he’s staring at. He realises his tattooed hand and wrist are exposed.  
“Tattoos scare ya?” Louis laughs, looking at Harry’s tattooed biceps.  
“N-no, you just didn’t seem like the type to-”  
“Wrapped up in a big hoodie means I can’t also be scary?” Louis laughs.  
Harry chuckles nervously, still standing at the edge of the table.  
“Ready for your great escape, then?” He asks in an attempt to break the all too awkward silence.  
“Ah yes, sit and we can plot.”  
Harry slides back into the booth, sitting directly across from Louis. They discuss an escape plan. Which really just means Harry teases Louis for being so worried about being spotted by some girls.  
“So why are you so scared of a bunch of girls? Like, why would they know you?” Harry asks, sounding genuinely curious.  
“I starred in a romantic comedy a bit ago, and teen girls loved it,” Louis explains. “It’s not the acting I usually do, but they all loved it.”  
Harry just laughs. Normally, Louis would attempt to defend himself but instead he just smiles at the boy. They hold eye contact for a moment and Louis feels like he’s getting lost in the boy’s green eyes. If he didn’t know any better, Louis would make more intimate conversation with the boy, but he knows he can’t. Not when he isn’t truly sure that Harry has no idea who he is. After all, he’s an actor, why wouldn’t the other boy be as well?  
“Hang on, did you drive here?” Harry asks.  
“No, I had a driver bring me,” Louis says, grabbing his phone from near Harry’s large hand. “I should probably let him know to come get me.”  
“Nonsense, my shift is basically over, I’ll drive you,” Harry says, smiling sweetly.  
Louis just nods. He can’t help but admire the way Harry’s cheeks dimple as he smiles. His eyes also crinkle slightly when he smiles, and Louis thinks it may just be the most adorable thing he’s ever seen.  
“How old are you?” Louis asks, praying Harry is at least nineteen.  
“Twenty-one, you?”  
“Twenty-three.” Louis lets out a sigh of relief.  
A two year age gap isn’t bad, at least not anymore. Maybe when he was eighteen he would have been more apprehensive about a younger boy, but not now.  
“Let’s get out of here, shall we?” Harry says, sliding out of the booth and holding out his hand for Louis.  
Apprehensively, Louis takes his hand and slides out of the booth. Harry’s plan is sort of smart. Louis will walk with him, holding his hand, out the back and to Harry’s car. This way, if anyone takes a picture, it looks like he’s been on a date and his manager will get the picture wiped from the internet, especially since it’s with a man.  
They exit the restaurant and enter the nearly empty parking lot behind it. Before Harry can pull Louis to his car, Louis stops and leans against the brick wall of the back of the diner. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.  
“That’s not very good for you, you know,” Harry says, watching him from a couple feet away.  
“That’s the point,” Louis mumbles, barely audible.  
“Well, I guess I’ll just wait over here, then,” Harry says, awkwardly walking towards his beaten down car.  
It’s an old Subaru Outback, which makes Louis chuckle. A boy like Harry should be driving a sports car, not a car marketed towards lesbian mothers. He watches as Harry slides his hand around the door handle, his singular ring probably scratching the paint slightly. He thinks of the ring, a simple band on his left middle finger. He wonders if there might be a story behind it.  
Louis doesn’t even finish his cigarette before throwing it onto the ground and smothering the light flame. Normally, he’d curse someone out for not savoring a cig, but for some reason, he feels the need to be near the younger boy. It’s like a magnetic pull, and Louis has no idea why. He walks over to the car, attempting to hide the anxiety that has inevitably started to build in the bottom of his stomach. He pulls open the passenger seat and slides in.  
“You smell like smoke,” Harry says from the passenger seat, not looking at Louis while he pulls the car out of the parking spot.  
Louis just scoffs and watches as the boy smoothly reverses the car. He admires the muscular arm that is reaching behind his seat. He can’t help but wonder if there’s a story behind his tattoos. He wants to know all of the sweet boy’s stories.  
“Do you have music?” Louis asks, praying away the awkward silence that makes the air feel heavy.  
“There’s some CD’s in the glove compartment, play whatever you’d like.”  
Louis opens up the compartment not really sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t what he saw. The compartment is filled to the brim with CD’s, both of obscure bands he’s never heard of and also some of the biggest bands to exist. He drags his finger down the spines of the cases, hoping to find one in particular. A CD that always sparks laughs with his fellow Brits, hoping this will make the boy smile again.  
He gently tugs the case reading “American Idiot” out of one of the piles of CD’s. Of course, half the CD’s fall out and Louis groans. Harry looks to see what the commotion is for and laughs at the sight of a very flustered Louis struggling to put the CD’s into neat piles.  
“Just shove it in, will ya?” Harry laughs.  
Louis straightens up in his seat and looks at Harry with wide eyes, unsure if Harry meant for his response to sound sexual. Harry keeps his eyes on the road. Louis bends back over to continue to put away the CD’s. Once he finishes putting everything back, albeit messily, he slides the disc into the slot. The title track begins playing.  
As the song begins, Harry turns to see Louis mumbling along to the song and nodding to the song.  
“Sing it,” Harry says.  
“Oh, you don’t want to hear me sing,” Louis chuckles and blushes.  
“I’ll sing with you.”  
The boys make eye contact and smile at each other. They both begin singing the chorus. They both laugh, and Harry turns back to the road. Louis feels like he’s in a movie, but not one he’s playing a part for. If he could freeze this moment he would. Singing a rock song with a beautiful boy is all he could ever want. He can’t help but tense up at the second chorus, not sure if he should skip over that specific word, but when he doesn’t and he internally prays that Harry won’t get upset with him.  
“You’re gay?” Harry asks, barely audible over the loud music  
“Yeah,” Louis replies.  
“Me too,” Harry laughs and turns red.  
“Why so shy?” Louis asks, turning the volume of the music down so they don’t have to continue to say it out loud.  
“Well, you’re a stranger,” Harry says. “I’ve never told a stranger that I’m gay. Now you know I like dicks.”  
Louis can’t help but laugh at the comment. Harry blushes again, clearly embarrassed by what he’s said, but Louis thinks it's adorable.  
After what feels like only a three minute drive, which was actually nearly half an hour, Harry pulls into the entrance of the studio. Louis directs Harry into a parking lot, besides the lot he’s filming in.  
“Why aren’t you going somewhere to sleep?” Harry asks. Louis thinks he sounds genuinely concerned, which makes his heart warm.  
“I’ve got my trailer,” Louis replies. He looks down at the watch that adorns his thin wrist. “And anyway, I’ve only got two hours until I’m due here anyway.”  
“Well, would ya want some company?” Harry asks awkwardly.  
“If you don’t mind spoilers, you could help me run lines?”  
Harry smiles softly, his dimples prominent. Louis is happy he’s here. It’s odd, getting a midnight milkshake made him a friend.  
“Give me a plot summary before we start,” Harry says as they climb out of the old car.  
They walk close together to Louis' trailer. Louis thinks about whether or not he’ll get into trouble for having Harry here, since it’s a closed set, but he decides he doesn’t care. What’s the worst that can happen?  
“Alright, well, I play a businessman who’s wife is fucking him over and having an affair, but secretely he is too,” Louis explains, for lack of a better way of explaining it.  
Yes, he plays a businessman and yes he has a wife, but the detail he’s missing is that he’s having an affair with a man. A secret that could ruin his whole career.  
“Start at ‘Hello”,” Louis instructs.  
“Hello.”  
“S’cuse me.”  
“A thank you would have been nice,” Harry laughs, fully in character.  
“Thanks for basic manners? Alrighty then. Thank you for being an okay human,” Louis rolls his eyes.  
“You’re welcome.”  
“D’you have a name?”  
“What?”  
“A name. You know, something that people call you?”  
“One that I’ll tell you after you’ve been rude? No.”  
“Alright, I guess I’ll call you Edward then, for lack of anything better,” Louis laughs again.  
“Ben.”  
Harry puts down the script. His eyes feel like they’re burning holes into Louis' skin. Normally this would cause Louis to feel some sense of discomfort, but he knows that Harry’s stare isn’t a dangerous one.  
Louis clears his throat. “Well, that’s all I needed to run, so thank you.”  
Harry smiles gently and makes awkward eye contact with him.  
“I should probably go then,” Harry says, in a way that makes Louis think that he’s asking for permission to stay.  
But all Louis can do is nod.  
“Could I get your number?” Harry asks as he stands up.  
“Of course,” Louis smiles.  
Louis grabs a marker from the table where they’ve been sitting. He’s been eager to touch the pretty boy since the moment he saw him, so he decides to seize the opportunity. He grabs Harry’s wrist and twists it slightly so his forearm is exposed. Gently, he writes his phone number on the empty space of the boy’s skin.  
“I should get this inked for real,” Harry mumbles.  
Louis smiles, knowing it wasn’t said for him to hear. He caps the marker and looks up at the boy, who stands slightly taller than him. The boy’s hair covers a bit of his face. Louis can’t help but push the single strand behind his ear. The eye contact seems like it’s made the temperature in the trailer rise about a hundred degrees.  
“I’ll walk you to your car?” Louis says, his voice cracking slightly from his nerves.  
Harry simply nods and follows him out of the trailer. They don’t really say goodbye before Harry gets into the car. As the car rattles out of the parking lot, Louis silently prays that it won’t be the last time he sees Harry.


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two!! the story is beginning BUT it is a slowburn, so don't expect too much too soon. ALSO there's a bit of a cliffhanger on this one, so I apologize in advanced haha! I hope you all enjoy! as always, please comment your thoughts and leave kudos if you enjoy! lots of love x  
> -N

“Good work today, Lou,” the tall blonde tells him.  
Louis just nods towards her and heads to his trailer. He’s in desperate need of a smoke and a phone call from a certain boy he met earlier in the day. He climbs into his trailer and practically flops onto the couch. He quickly lights a cigarette and tucks it between his lips as he opens his phone. He didn’t ask Harry’s number, so he’s hoping Harry has messaged him or left him a voicemail.   
Thankfully he has a message from an unsaved number. The forming lump in his throat makes him wish he could scream away his nerves. Why the hell is he even nervous? He’s a celebrity for fucks sake. He could have whoever he wants.   
A message flashes across the screen.  
“Hey, it’s Harry, from earlier! Just wanted to check in and see how your day has been :) xx”  
Ouch. Double x. Louis can already tell that the sweetness of this boy will be the death of him. He types out a quick reply.  
“Day went well! I’m done early today since we shot so early haha x”  
He takes another drag of the cigarette and leans back on the couch. Fully relaxing for the first time all day. His brain goes through everything that has happened today. He’s never really been able to harness that feeling you get when you first meet someone you could one day love in his acting, but the events of the day made it so easy for him to portray that today. Hell, even his director noticed the change in his demeanor. Louis' brain keeps screaming at him to relax, telling him that Harry is just a boy.  
As if on cue, Louis’ phone buzzes.   
“Hey! I’m heading on a drive, so I won’t be answering my phone for a bit, but feel free to call me :) xx”  
Louis chuckles to himself and clicks the button to call him. As the phone rings, Louis sets down the now finished cigarette and shifts to find a more comfortable position on the couch.   
He thinks to himself, “is it weird that I’m calling him?”   
He hangs up the phone before it stops ringing, his heart rate going faster than when he exercises. He sighs and grabs a duffle bag that was shoved in the corner of the trailer. He always leaves a fresh pair of clothes in case he has days like today. This time, he’s got a pair of black sweatpants and a black hoodie. He changes quickly. Then, he heads out of the trailer and text’s his driver to take him to his house.   
As he stands awkwardly in the parking lot, like a middle schooler waiting for their mom, he hears a familiar rattling sound. He takes a quick look over his shoulder and sees the brown car rolling into the parking lot. Without hesitation, he starts walking back to his trailer while dialing his drivers number.  
“Hello?” A voice says through Louis’ phone.  
“Don’t come, I’ve changed plans.”  
“Alright.”  
Louis hangs up and opens the door to his trailer, not looking behind him as he closes the door and flings himself onto the couch. It could be anyone, right? Harry can’t possibly be the only person who owns that car. Even if it was him, how did he get past security without Louis?  
Louis’ head snaps to the side as he hears a knock at his door. In this moment, all he wants to do is lay down in his bed and sleep the present away. The knocking continues.  
“Delivery for Mr. Tomlinson?” A voice says from outside the door. Louis knows that voice. Harry.  
“It’s open,” Louis croaks. His throat feels dry.  
Harry pulls the door open slowly, sunshine flooding the trailer. Louis squints and watches his silhouette enter the room. Harry’s holding a slightly crumpled brown paper bag and a drink tray, with two milkshakes.   
“I missed your call,” Harry says apologetically, while sitting down on the couch and placing the things on the table before them. “So, I thought food would make up for it.”  
“How’d you know I would be here?”  
“Don’t worry about it,” Harry chuckles as he opens the bag and pulls out two burgers and french fries. “I wasn’t sure what you would want, so I got two burgers I like. In case I have to eat them both.”  
Louis can tell that Harry is nervous. It's the cute kind of nervous, though. Louis thinks Harry looks like a teddy bear. He’s wearing black skinny jeans (Louis doesn’t understand how someone could ever do that willingly) and an oversized lilac sweater. Louis can’t help but imagine how big the sweater would be on him.   
“Mate don’t worry, I’ll eat anything,” Louis laughs.  
“Anything?” Harry asks with a laugh, raising a singular eyebrow suggestively.   
“Oi, let’s eat, I’m starving,” Louis says, grabbing one of the burgers and unwrapping it.  
The boys eat quickly, but silently. Louis can’t help but watch Harry as he eats. He’s especially enthralled by the way Harry seems so free. He seems like he hasn’t got a thing weighing him down. He’s a free spirit. Louis wishes he could be too.  
After a few minutes of silent eating, Harry clears his throat and grabs his milkshake.  
“I want to propose a toast,” he says, raising his milkshake towards Louis.  
Louis laughs and grabs his untouched milkshake.  
“To early morning milkshake cravings, since they let me meet you,” Harry says before gently tapping Louis’ milkshake with his own.  
Louis laughs and takes a sip of his milkshake. As soon as the cold substance hits his tongue, his eyebrows furrow.  
“What flavor is this?” Louis asks. He thinks he likes it, but he’s not quite sure.  
“It’s just Cookies ‘n Cream, I won’t make you try anything adventurous yet,” Harry laughs.  
“Yet?”  
“Yeah.”  
The boys joke around with each other for a bit while they sip on their milkshakes. At one point, Louis looks down at his phone, which is constantly lighting up with messages. He realises it's nearly 9 PM.  
“Hang on, it’s Friday, don’t you have plans?” Louis asks, wondering why Harry’s cooped up in a trailer with him.  
It’s summer, they’re young, they should be out having fun, not sitting with only each other's company. Except, Louis thinks he would prefer this over anything else.   
“Are you trying to kick me out,” Harry replies, crossing his arms and frowning like a child.  
Louis laughs and punches him gently. Is that something friends do? Or did he just make things weird?  
“Let’s go to the club,” Louis declares, standing up. “Let’s go to my place and change first though.”  
Louis grabs Harry’s hand and pulls him off the couch. They walk out of the trailer like two teen girls who are on their way to the bathroom to gossip about their crushes. They leave their mess on the table. Louis feels free in this moment, nothing holding him back as he slides into the passenger seat of Harry’s run-down car.   
Louis watches Harry’s hands as they grip the steering wheel. Everything about that man is attractive, even the grease building in his hair. This time, Louis chose an Arctic Monkey’s CD to listen to. This car feels safe to him.  
Harry pulls into Louis’ long driveway. His house is a bit farther back than those of his neighbors. Louis likes that though, it’s more private this way. His house is big and white, but has a very chic modern look to it. The windows are so large they basically replace most of the walls.   
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Louis laughs as he opens the door to the house for Harry.  
“Humble my arse,” Harry mumbles under his breath.  
Louis just snickers and grabs Harry’s hand. He pulls him up the sleek steps that lead to the second floor. Once they’re up there, Louis practically drags Harry to the bedroom.   
“Eager to get me in bed, huh,” Harry says as they enter the room.  
Louis laughs in response. Harry jumps onto the bed and lays on his back while Louis walks into the closet. He turns his head towards Louis. Louis can feel Harry’s eyes on his body. It makes him self conscious, honestly, but he focuses on choosing clothes for the both of them. His hands run along an ex-boyfriend’s leftover clothes.   
“Come help,” Louis calls over to Harry.  
Harry grunts and trudges over.   
“I have,” Louis voice trails off for a second. “Leftovers! Yeah.”  
“You want me to take a mysterious ex’s clothes off your hands, is what you’re saying,” Harry says.  
Louis just nods his head sheepishly. He doesn’t quite know how to act with Harry yet. There are moments that feel easy and free, and other moments where his anxiety cages him in.   
Louis stares while Harry searches through the small section of clothes. He takes out a dark blue button down top.  
“Aren’t you not supposed to wear blue and black?” Louis asks, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
“Oh Louis, looks like someone needs a fashion lesson,” Harry says while scanning Louis up and down his body. “Not that we didn’t already know that.”  
Louis groans. “What happened to nice Harry? I miss him.”  
Harry laughs and walks deeper into the closet with Louis. Louis watches as Harry inspects basically every article of clothing Louis owns, including his shoes.  
“You like, sparkles?” Harry asks, holding up about ten different sparkly clothing items.  
“Sparkles and glitter are fun, hush,” Louis replies. His cheeks burn red.  
Harry laughs and continues searching through the closet. Louis is bored. He decides to give Harry the time and space he seems to need in order to pick out an outfit. He sits down on his bed and decides to finally look at the messages of the day. One in particular catches his eye, from his best friend, Liam.  
“Hey, mate, Z and I are heading to the club! Hope to see you there x”  
Liam and Zayn are Louis’ best friends. He loves them a lot, but he can’t help but be jealous of them. He wishes he could have found a first love like theirs. He replies to Liam saying that he’ll be there soon, but doesn’t mention Harry. What even is Harry to him? A friend? A crush? Who knows at this point.  
“Alright I have options,” Harry says.  
At least, Louis can only assume that the moving stack of clothes is Harry. He drops the clothes onto his bed. The sight makes Louis laugh: Harry’s hair is covering the majority of his face and his lilac sweater is bunched up, exposing the tattoos on his lower stomach. Harry quickly runs through the outfit options, Louis groaning in frustration every time Harry tells him there’s another. At one point, Harry is so enthralled in explaining why Louis can’t wear his trainers to the club, that Louis quickly picks out his own outfit; black ripped jeans and a white t-shirt.   
Louis clears his throat, standing behind Harry as the boy digs through the pile of clothes he brought out. Harry shoots up and turns around, clearly slightly scared.   
“You look, good,” Harry smiles down at the shorter boy.   
Harry pulls his sweater off and over his head, exposing his tattooed body. Louis can’t take his eyes off of the boy, even as he’s buttoning up the new shirt. Every aspect of Harry captivates Louis.   
“Agh, let’s just go,” Louis says, turning on his heels to head out of the room.   
Harry grabs his arm before he can start walking away.   
“You need shoes,” he laughs, walking back into Louis’ closet.   
Louis watches as the boy bends over to scan the shoes laying on the floor. His hand runs over the shoes laying on the floor. His hand stops and grabs a pair of plain black hightop converse.   
“Don’t wanna let those toes get hurt on the dancefloor,” Harry laughs, handing the shoes to Louis.   
There’s no way to make putting shoes on look any less awkward and vulnerable than it already is. Louis just ducks his head and does it quickly. Once he’s finished, he drags Harry out of the house. He texts his driver to pick him up.  
He feels Harry step up right behind him, the body heat surrounding his body. He steps back slightly, into Harry’s body. Harry’s arms wrap around his body, holding him slightly. Louis feels safe.   
A slick black car slides into the driveway, and Louis walks out of Harry’s arms. He places his hand on the door handle of the back seat. With a deep breath, he opens the door and lets Harry slide into the car. Then, he joins.   
“Hand me the aux cord, will ya?” Louis asks the driver.  
A hand from the front of the car silently hands the cable to him. Louis plugs in his phone and opens Spotify. His face turns red as ABBA starts blaring through the car speakers.  
Harry laughs and starts singing along to the music. At this moment, Louis can’t tell if he wants to disappear or join in. Instead, he just stares at Harry, who’s dancing and singing along. The same hand from earlier appears into the back of the car, this time holding a bottle of vodka, which Louis takes happily. He takes a long swig, the burn in the back of his throat barely noticeable after years of drinking. Once the liquid hits his bloodstream, he instantly relaxes. Well, temporarily.


	3. chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ahhh I hope you're all enjoying so far! comments make the writing process so much more enjoyable (because I know there's an actual human reading my work haha)! we finally get to see some new characters this chapter! please leave comments and kudos if you'd like! lots of love x  
> -N

Outside the window, cameras are flashing and people are yelling. It’s chaotic, and, quite frankly, terrifying. Louis looks at Harry, who, in this moment, is his beacon of safety. The noise leaks into the car and seems to be the reason why Louis’ stomach is doing backflips.   
“Drive ‘round the back, yeah?” Louis asks the driver.  
The car lurches back into motion and heads around the block.  
“Why can’t we go the front way?” Harry asks. Louis can’t tell if he’s disappointed. God, Louis would hate himself if he made Harry upset.   
“Paps,” Louis just whispers back.  
Harry nods his head, as if he understands. Louis wishes he could spill all of his secrets right then and there, but he can’t. He’s got to keep them locked away, hidden in the little vault in his chest.   
The car comes to a halt in the middle of a sketchy alley. Louis is used to it in this tight space between brick walls though. He opens the car door and slides out of the car. He holds the door open for Harry, who follows him out. The car starts driving away as soon as Louis shuts the door, which makes him chuckle. Harry looks down at Louis, who is already looking at Harry. Louis lets out a sigh and grabs Harry’s hand to pull him into the club.   
As he opens the door, the men are met by the sight of bright lights and sweaty bodies. It takes Louis a minute to distinguish which song is playing. He’s surprised he even knows it, since club music doesn’t tend to be his thing. It’s hyperpop and, well, he’s more of a rock lad.   
Harry pushes in front of Louis gently. This time he’s the one pulling. Louis furrows his brow and wonders how Harry knows his way around a LA club. Suddenly, Harry drops his hand and has his arms wrapped around someone.  
Wait. Louis recognizes the tattoos on the hands of whoever is hugging Harry. The hug breaks and Harry steps to the side. Liam.  
“Mate, how the fuck do you two know each other?” Louis yells towards Liam.  
Liam looks at Harry, who’s looking back at him. Louis can practically see the gears turning inside Harry’s head.  
“Alright, alright, don’t tell me,” he laughs. “I need a drink.”  
“Babe, you’re practically drunk already,” Harry giggles, leaning into Louis.   
Liam’s eyes widen as he watches the two men giggle and walk to the bar, hand in hand. Louis orders shots for the four men. Harry and Louis can barely keep their hands off each other. The alcohol lays a light haze in Louis’ mind. His brain is free of anxiety, finally. As he tilts his head back for shots, the only thing on his mind is the beautiful boy and their friends.   
The four boys are clearly split in two pairs, Louis and Harry and Liam and Zayn, but they also stick together as a group. The boys all laugh when the occasional girl comes to hit on one of them.  
“Babe, we’ve got to make you look more gay!” Zayn shouts before leaning in to kiss Liam.   
Louis scoffs, “I think the eyeliner and mesh shirt do just fine.”  
“Louis!” Harry exclaims. “It’s not Li’s fault the ladies love him, I mean, look at that body!”  
“Woah there, that’s my man you’re talking about,” Zayn says, half jokingly, as Liam blushes.   
Harry snorts and giggles, which Louis thinks is adorable. Harry grips Louis' hand and leans down to whisper in his ear.  
“I’m sleepy.”  
“Harry, I-”  
“Harry Styles? Is that you?” An irish blonde asks.  
“Agh Niall! You made it!” Harry exclaims, dropping Louis’ hand and embracing the newcomer.  
The two younger boys joke together. Louis feels so small at this moment. So out of place and insecure. He places his hand on Harry’s bicep, praying the boy will come back to him. Praying that the beautiful boy will be his anchor.  
“Oh, H! Who’s this?” Niall asks, finally noticing Louis.   
“Oh, erm, he’s my, erm,” Harry’s voice trails off.  
“We’re mates,” Louis interrupts.   
Louis wants to scream and shout that he wants to be more, especially when he sees how Harry’s face drops. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t know what they are. Hell, it’s still too early to tell if they even really are friends. Louis realizes he’s only known this boy for about 25 hours, but it feels like a lifetime.   
Louis watches as Niall’s eyes shoot back and forth between him and Harry. Louis can tell he knows something is going on, but knows that he doesn’t know what. Louis taps Harry’s shoulder and motions for him to join him in the bathroom. Harry follows as Louis leads them through the sweaty crowd to the bathroom.  
“Is everything alright?” Louis asks as Harry closes the door behind them.  
“Yeah,” Harry says, nodding his head slowly. “Just tired, like I said before.”  
“Yeah, right,” Louis says, genuinely trying to sound like he believes Harry.  
“D’you wanna leave?”  
“Yeah.”  
Louis grabs his phone from the back pocket of his jeans. As he turns it on he sees a text from Zayn.  
“Getting lucky in the club loo! Good for you mate, you deserve it ;P”  
Louis can’t stop all the blood from rushing to his face. He hopes Harry doesn’t notice. He keeps his eyes on his phone, even though his hands are shaking slightly. The blushing made him self-conscious and now he can feel his anxiety taking over. He dials the driver’s number and brings the phone up to his ear.  
“Club?” the driver groans into the phone.  
“Yeah.”  
Louis hangs up the phone. Finally, he looks up at Harry, who’s looking at him. For a minute, they just stare at each other. It’s odd, Louis never noticed that when his eyes are hit with light at a certain angle, they almost look more gold than green. He can’t help but smile. In his back pocket, his phone buzzes, and Louis simply assumes that it is his driver.   
“Ready?” Louis asks.  
Harry simply nods his head and steps out of the way so that Louis can lead the way to the car. It’s silly to Louis, the fact that he feels the need to hide the fact that he’s going out with his friends. He just doesn’t want people to know about him, know that it's true. Not yet. Not until the movie.   
Louis doesn’t touch Harry this time. Something about being at the club put him on edge. His walls are up again, higher this time. He opens the door for Harry, obviously, and slides into the car. The space between them feels like miles. The silence in the car is deafening. Louis thinks it just might be the most awkward car ride of all of history.   
He can’t take it anymore. He’d rather die than sit in this silence for any longer.  
“So, how do you know Liam?” Louis asks.   
Louis can’t believe that he doesn’t know all of Liam’s friends. Liam knows all of his, for goodness sake. Well, Liam also has about three times as many friends, but that’s unimportant. They’ve been friends ever since Louis can remember. Hell, they came to America together and got their first apartment here together.   
“Erm, I uhhh, I wrote a script for him,” Harry stutters.   
Louis thinks the way Harry talks is adorable.   
“A script? You’re a waiter.”  
“Well, yeah, but only for consistent income,” Harry explains. “My passion is writing and it’s basically all I do when I’m not working. Well, unless I have a distraction.”  
Louis can’t help but blush at the comment. He’s the distraction.  
“So is it just scripts?” Louis asks, genuinely wanting to learn about the boy.  
“No, not really, but that’s what people like most of mine.”  
“Oh, have I seen anything with your script?”  
Louis notices that Harry’s skin becomes slightly flustered, but then he replies, “‘M not sure, don’t know everything you’ve seen.”  
Before Louis can reply, the car comes to a halt in his driveway. He opens the car door and steps out, the cold hitting him like a brick wall. He shivers and exits the car, holding the door open as Harry gets out. They huddle together and run for the door together.   
Louis opens the door and pulls Harry into the living room, a room they haven’t been in together yet. They collapse onto the couch laughing. Somehow, it feels like they’re both drunk again.  
“Do you work tomorrow?” Louis asks.  
“Nah, I only work, like, three days a week.” Harry explains. “There’s no filming tomorrow, right?”  
Louis just nods his hand and stands up. He walks over to the bar while opening Spotify on his phone. He chooses a random playlist full of rock songs and grabs a bottle of vodka, not wanting the feeling of being free to stop. Being drunk makes him free, because he can just blame his actions on the alcohol.   
“More vodka?” Harry asks as Louis sits down and takes a long swig.  
Instead of responding, Louis just hand’s Harry the bottle. They silently pass the bottle between themselves a couple times, just until Louis feels fuzzy again.   
“Do you like to swim?” Louis asks, his words slurring together slightly.  
Harry nods and giggles. Louis has realized that Harry giggles a lot when he’s drunk. It’s cute. Louis pulls Harry off the couch and up into the bedroom. He goes into the closet and throws a t-shirt at Harry. Without a word, Harry takes off the blue button down he was wearing and puts on the t-shirt. Neither of them are actually thinking, just laughing and enjoying life. The rock soundtrack doesn’t really fit the moment. The music should be a soft pop song about slowly falling in love.   
Louis stumbles out of the closet holding an old fedora. He wouldn’t be able to tell you where it's from if his life depended on it, but he has it. He places it on Harry’s head.  
“No shoes!” Louis exclaims before sitting on the floor and removing his shoes and socks. Harry copies him.   
They look like toddlers. Harry looks like he’s totally enthralled by everything Louis does, staring at him with wide eyes.   
Once they are both barefoot, Louis pulls Harry behind him. They run down the stairs and it's a miracle neither one stumbles and falls. Then, Louis pulls Harry out the back door and stands still for once, staring at the pool that takes up half the patio area.   
“Ready?” He asks, looking back at Harry.  
Harry nods and Louis pulls him forward at full speed. Louis jumps and the both land in the pool with a large splash. When Louis comes back to the surface for water, Harry is already standing in the shallower end, where the water only reaches his chest. Louis swims over silently, watching as Harry giggles about the floating fedora. Louis admires the way the younger boy splashes around, seemingly without a single care in the world. Louis wishes he could go back to that day, that day when he was only nineteen. That day he sacrificed his identity for work and never got it back.   
Suddenly, Louis is hit in the face with water. He was so lost in his thoughts that Harry splashed him for attention. Louis splashes Harry back. They go back and forth just splashing each other and giggling, but then Louis gets tackled. Harry quickly releases the smaller boy and retreats back to his corner of the pool, suddenly shy. Louis comes up for air quickly, facing away from Harry. He spins quickly, scanning the pool for him.   
“You alright?” Louis asks.   
Harry is cowering in the corner and shivering. He just nods his head.  
“C’mon,” Louis says, walking over to Harry and wrapping his arms around the shivering boy. “We’re going inside, let's warm you up.”  
Harry just nods, teeth chattering from the cold. Louis pulls the shivering boy into the house. He lets him sit on the couch, not caring that it’ll get wet. He walks upstairs and to his closet. He goes to that section of his closet. Memories of an old love flood his head. He tries to take his mind off of it, but for some reason it's all he can think of. He quickly grabs a pair of sweatpants and a sweater that looks like it will be too big on Harry.   
He walks downstairs to the living room. Harry is shivering on the couch, a puddle forming below him from his dripping hair and clothes. Louis walks over to him.  
“C’mon babe, let’s get you into some dry clothes,” he says, gently caressing Harry’s arm.   
Harry nods and follows Louis to one of the two downstairs bathrooms. Louis opens the door for him and watches as the shivering boy takes the clothes from him and shuts the door.   
“I’ll be in the kitchen, making tea, when you come out,” Louis says, leaning his head against the door.  
He waits a few seconds but doesn’t get a response. He sighs and walks to the kitchen. He grabs a kettle off the counter and fills it with water to put on the stove. He much prefers a traditional kettle to the electric ones, the same way he prefers making tea in a pot versus individual mugs. Even when he’s alone, he can’t make tea without making a whole pot. Maybe that’s the reason he never gets a full night's worth of sleep. He always has to pee. Really, he drinks enough to wake up to pee so that he makes sure he wakes up from his nightmares. God, those nightmares.   
He shakes his head and puts the kettle onto the stove. Then, he decides to sit on the island in the kitchen. Usually, he’ll grab something to read while he waits for the kettle to come to a boil, but for some reason, he just wants some time in his thoughts.   
He thinks of him. The boy he lost so many years ago. The boy he thought he would marry. The one who convinced him to take a leap of faith for his career. The one who made him do the thing that would make him lose his love. His brain tells him that he’s better off now, but his heart still yearns for young love. Young love and the feeling of freedom.   
The kettle begins to whistle, softly at first. At the same time, Louis hears footsteps. Harry enters the kitchen in the borrowed clothes and a towel wrapped around his head, covering his long hair. Louis smiles at him and pours the boiling water into a teapot.   
“What flavour would you like?” Louis asks.  
“Mint?” Harry suggests, almost as if he’s afraid Louis won’t like his choice.   
“Perfect.”  
Louis sets two tea bags in the kettle and lets them sit as he grabs two mugs.   
“How do you take your tea?” Louis asks Harry, opening the refrigerator to grab some milk.  
“A bit of milk, please.”  
Louis nods and prepares both of the teas.   
“The guest room is upstairs, you can sleep there if you’d like,” Louis says. “It’s too late for me to make you drive home.”  
Harry just smiles softly. Louis can’t help but smile every time he sees those dimples. Those fucking dimples will be the death of him. Louis grabs both teas and hands Harry’s to him. Then, he leads Harry upstairs to the guest room.   
“You know where I’ll be,” Louis says. “Don’t hesitate to come get me if you need anything.”  
Harry nods his head before walking into the room. Louis doesn’t know if he should say goodnight, so all he does is walk away. Louis finally changes out of his wet clothes and into a pair of sweatpants before drinking his tea in bed. His mind, for some reason, is blank. Well, not really. No thoughts, just those dimples and green eyes. It’s been a day and Louis is already hopeless. Once he finishes his tea, he turns off his lamp and lays down to sleep. He falls asleep thinking of the beautiful boy in the other room.


End file.
